AT TIMES, travelling can be as scary as it is exciting, but travelling with chronic diseases can be even more frightening and challenging.

I’ve read many articles from fellow travellers about how exploring the world helped them be more confident and overcome their fears. As much as I would love to agree with this sentiment — because travelling can definitely make a positive impact on your life — in my case it was often quite the opposite. Especially during the beginning.

I was diagnosed with psoriasis as well as Reynaud’s syndrome at the age of 16 while living in Poland. While these two chronic diseases can be treated and controlled, they cannot be fully cured.

Psoriasis is an auto-immune disorder that causes red and white itchy plaques on your skin, nails and scalp. I guess I don’t have to explain why it’s uncomfortable. Reynaud’s syndrome is a circulatory condition that prevents blood circulation in the hands and feet, leaving you with white numb fingers when the temperature drops.

But still I decided to travel ...

I set off from home permanently nine years ago and have been travelling ever since, exploring 68 countries so far.

I can’t grab snow with my hands but I’m still able to do other activities that would seem impossible, like snorkelling in ice cold water in Iceland. In that case I was wearing gloves so I was fine.

Psoriasis on the other hand isn’t as easy to get used to while travelling. There are months when my skin is pretty normal, but I often have outbreaks when I’m on the road.

As silly as it sounds, because it’s “just” my skin, those who suffer from the same disease can relate and agree with me that it’s probably the worst thing that can happen before going to the beach or show any skin.

When my legs look bad I just put on stockings to cover them.

In the beginning, I would hide by wearing long skirts and not going for a swim, but the more I travelled the more I understood that I just need to cope with it.

Unfortunately, the world around me doesn’t seem to cope with psoriasis.

When the psoriasis on my scalp gets bad, flakes of skin drop whenever I shake my head or put it against something. I feel like a snowman leaving snowflakes everywhere; dark coloured plane seats are my worst nightmare.

This is also why I stopped staying in hostels and sharing rooms with strangers, because no matter how understanding some people can seem, they still stare.

Psoriasis can be very noticeable.Source:News Limited

I always wanted to go to the Aquaventure waterpark in Dubai, but a few days before my flight to the Middle East I received laser treatment for my psoriasis, so not only did I have red plaques all over my skin, but also dark dots.

My choices were: going and dealing with people, or not going and skipping the adventure I had been waiting to experience.

I decided to go and I have to say that as I stepped out of the dressing room, I immediately regretted it. The entire crowd stared at me constantly. However, in the end I survived and I was glad I did it.

Aquaventure in Dubai.

My worst psoriasis story was my experience with a popular Middle Eastern airline. When I was trying to board my flight to Singapore, a flight attendant pulled me out of my seat and said that she needed to talk to me.

I suspected that it could have been about my psoriasis, but I didn’t want to make a scene. The flight attendant asked me what was wrong with my skin in front of the other passengers. As she wasn’t very discreet about it, other people started to look very concerned.

I explained to her that there was nothing to worry about as psoriasis is a genetic disease and not contagious. It seemed like she didn’t believe me and said ‘I don’t know what that means in English, but we have a procedure’ and called another crew member over.

This one also claimed that English wasn’t her first language so she didn’t understand what I meant, but nevertheless I probably shouldn’t fly. Why? After 15 minutes I was finally able to stay in my seat, but now I had to answer a whole bunch of questions from the curious passengers sitting around me.

It was horribly uncomfortable. And the worst part of it all? When I complained to the airline about the situation, they didn’t even apologise.

Wearing a cardigan in a different way, to cover up.

Despite experiences like these, I’ve learned that travelling isn’t impossible with chronic diseases. When my psoriasis gets severe I adjust my clothing when I can, for instance by wearing long gloves and covering tights.

However, if I want to go to the beach, I don’t let my illness hold me back. I’ve also learned to tell people about my psoriasis before they have a chance to ask about it.

If I see a person I just met staring, I tell them ‘It’s just psoriasis, it’s not contagious or anything’ and it usually makes them feel more comfortable. It doesn’t always make the situation better, but there’s nothing more I can do about it.

On the bright side of things, my psoriasis actually helped me get closer to people a few times. When I was going to Tortuga Bay beach in the Galápagos Islands, a local woman stopped me to ask about my skin.

Relaxing in a hotel room.

I explained to her that it’s a chronic condition and she shouldn’t worry about me, but she really insisted on me going to her house to try a cream that her daughter uses. I tried to politely thank her, but she kept insisting and I finally agreed to try out her cream while she served me iced tea and cookies and we chatted about the Galapagos for over an hour.

I’m obviously not the only one who travels with chronic conditions. So whether it’s psoriasis, or coeliac disease, don’t let anything hold you back from living your dreams.